Diablo III Could Be Coming To Consoles

Blizzard's size and success have allowed it to remain one of the only major developers still focused exclusively on the PC, but new job openings posted on the company's website could indicate a multi-platform future. The new opportunities are all related to Diablo III; Blizzard is looking for programmers, designers, and quest script authors.

Blizzard's Diablo III community manager Bashiok posted the following in response to various questions and concerns.

As some of you may have seen over on the Diablo III home page, we’re currently exploring a Diablo-related concept for consoles. As we’ve said in the past, with proper care the gameplay could suit the console platform, and we’re interested in seeing what talent out there might be interested in contributing to such a project.

To further reiterate what’s posted on the home page: this is not an announcement of a console title. We are first and foremost developing Diablo III for Windows and Mac PCs, and we have no intention of allowing a console interpretation to delay or otherwise affect the release of the game. As always feel free to discuss this topic here, but please note that we don’t have any further details to share at this time.

If you or someone you know would be interested in joining the Diablo team, then head over to the job posts to check out the requirements and submit an application.

Blizzard's sole previous foray into console development was a version of Starcraft for the N64. The game contained all of the missions from Starcraft and Brood Wars but the Nintendo 64's limited graphics, storage space, and awkward UI translation all hurt the game's success. Of all the major Blizzard franchises, Diablo's UI would probably be easiest to port to a controller; modern consoles are also much more likely to be capable of rendering the game properly than the N64 was back in 2000.

Blizzard is known for evocative environments; Diablo III is no exception. You can almost hear the Ballmer zombies moaning "Develllllllllopers"

The best news is the company's affirmation that PC development is front-and-center in terms of development. We're sick of console ports that can't take advantage of what modern PCs are capable of.